Colleen O'Dea

2 days ago | njspotlightnews.org | Colleen O'Dea

With four weeks until the primary election, five Democrats running for governor challenged one another aggressively in front of the public Monday for the first time in this race. The candidates tried to distinguish themselves from the pack on a host of issues, which was not always easy, as all hold similar positions in many areas. Sponsored by NJ PBS and WNYC radio, the conversation Monday night among Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5th), Rep.

1 week ago | njspotlightnews.org | Colleen O'Dea

This year, voters will choose a new governor for New Jersey. The state constitution prohibits Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, from seeking a third consecutive term. Both the Democratic and Republican parties have contested primaries to get on the general election ballot for the four-year term. New Jersey’s voter rolls lean Democratic: More than 38% of all registrants are Democrats, compared with almost 24% who are Republicans. Most of the rest are not affiliated with any party.

1 week ago | njspotlightnews.org | Colleen O'Dea

In 1981, in the midst of a tight gubernatorial election, the Republican National Committee created what it called the “National Ballot Security Task Force” to reduce voter turnout in Black and Hispanic areas of the state. Off-duty police and deputy sheriffs carrying guns, two-way radios and wearing armbands posted signs saying “IT IS A CRIME TO FALSIFY A BALLOT OR TO VIOLATE ELECTION LAWS” and challenged voters in predominantly minority voting districts. Republican Thomas H.

2 weeks ago | njspotlightnews.org | Colleen O'Dea

More than $100 million is expected to be spent on this year’s gubernatorial primary elections in New Jersey. That would reflect the first large-scale spending by independent committees, groups that legally aren’t allowed to coordinate with the candidates. According to Saurav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform with the Campaign Legal Center, there has been only one case of collusion prosecuted in the history of independent spending and that, he said, was an outlier.

4 weeks ago | njspotlightnews.org | Colleen O'Dea |Hannah Gross

How we reported this storyThe New Jersey Department of Education’s School Performance Report for the 2023-24 school year includes more than 80 tables and graphics on topics including demographics, academic achievement, graduation, college and career readiness, discipline, staff and spending. The department’s reference guide to the performance report stretches to more than 100 pages. Members of the public can access the data on the department’s website.